Picking Up The Pieces
by Lady In Shadows
Summary: After they finally lost control, Serdurni, Lana, Maranka, and Neadasyrek have been brought together to recover, and learn to trust again.
1. Chapter 1: Knock the Board Over

Disclaimer: I do not own Champions Online.

Summary: Sometimes, we need help to put ourselves back together again.

Note from the Shadows: We're back! This is the sequel to Breaking points, and, well... You'll see. This story deviates rather majorly from the champions storyline in someway, in others, it sticks to it.

**[Chapter One: Knock The Board Over]**

_The girl who seemed unbreakable - broke._

_The girl who seemed so strong - crumbled._

_The girl who always laughed it off - cried._

_The girl who would never stop trying - finally gave up & quit._

Serdurni looked at the other three girls as she sat in their shared room, knees drawn up to her chest. Her striped, black and white hair was pulled back in a tight braid, her grey skin devoid of injury. Her stone wings were wrapped around herself in what could pass for a gentle hug. Worry flashed in her purple eyes as she looked the other girls over. Sitting in the corner, shaking, was a young darkling woman with purple eyes and a tiara, looking around in terror every few seconds. Serdurni had heard her screaming in her sleep the night before, yet she had pushed her away when she tried to calm her. She'd already been there when Serdurni arrived, though she hadn't said much.

Sitting in the corner, metal wings wrapped around herself, was a small little fairy, with green skin, a missing left eye, a missing right arm, and a missing left leg. Serdurni almost felt like crying whenever she looked at the small fairy, heart breaking at the evidence of the tiny creatures wounds. The little fairy had barely spoken since she had arrived, crying softly in her sleep. The little fairy had been brought in a day or two ago, crying brokenly over something and talking about Tex. That worried Serdurni greatly, to tell the truth. What had happened, while she was kept here?

Hiding under one of the beds, though, was the one that frightened Serdurni the most. A little malnourished child, with long white hair, a tattered dress, and purple eyes. She'd been brought in just the night before, barely conscious, with blood splatters all over her. She was covered in bandages now, absolutely terrified. As soon as she had woken up, the child had darted under the bed, and no amount of coaxing would convince her to come out or even say her name. The child hadn't even spoken, or made any sound. Nearby, sitting curled up on the blanket Serdurni had finally slipped under the bed for the child, was a small,injured tabby kitten.

As for Serdurni herself, she was still shocked from what had happened. She'd arrived a week ago, after she fell asleep crying on the pavement. She had panicked at first, until a man with sort black hair and a kind smile had come in, and sat by the bed beside her. Serdurni shut her eyes, losing herself to the memories.

_She was sitting on the bed mutely, wings wrapped tightly around her as she rocked back and door opened and shut with a soft click, then she felt a weight on the bed next to her. "It's alright, child, you're safe. I promise, no one shall hurt you here," a soft voice said gently, as someone draped a blanket over her wings and shoulders. "Please, do calm down. It pains me to see you so frightened. I promise, no one here wants to hurt you, and you can go home soon. Everything will be explained once all of you arrive, alright?" Despite herself, the young Valori felt herself calming down as she listened to his words. A soft touch of magic touched her skull, until she calmed further, falling the man stood and left._

She'd seen the man only twice since- Once, when he brought the small fairy in, already awake, and last night, when he had rushed straight through the room to the shared bathroom, the small girl in his arms, and the kitten on his shoulder. She, along with the darkling woman, had watched from the doorway as the man cleaned and bandaged the child's wounds, horrified. Halfway through, the darkling woman had fled back to her corner, sobbing. Serdurni had followed, wrapping a blanket around the woman carefully, sitting beside her until the woman had pushed her away. Before the man had left, placing the child on the empty bed, her turned to the other three girls. "Everything is going to be explained in the morning," he promised, "Get some sleep.

Now, all three girls were sitting quietly, Serdurni's eyes returning to the door. All but the child's heads went up as they heard the click of the door opening, the man stepping in. His short black hair was neatly combed, and his brown eyes were shadowed with worry as he looked over the scene, shaking his head. He crouched down in front of the bed, opening his arms. "Little one, do you remember me? I am friend, I brought you to safety. All here, are friend. Come here, little one." At his words, the child hesitantly came out from under the bed, clinging to him. Serdurni hadn't realized it before, but now that she listened closely, she realized this strange man had a British accent. He rubbed the child's back gently, standing with her in his arms, and turned to the remaining three girls. "If you'll follow me, I can explain what's going on over breakfast."

As they sat at the breakfast table, none of them saying a word, the man looked them over. "Each of you, has been brought here to recover," he said eventually. Three heads jerked up simultaneously, staring at him. "Recover from what?" the darkling woman asked venomously. The man raised a hand in a gesture of peace. "You collapsed. Broke down. Piled stress after stress, until your mind couldn't handle it anymore. You know this especially well, don't you, miss Matea?"

The woman jerked, eyes flashing. "Don't call me that..." she muttered, looking away. The man sighed. "I am hoping, that over the next couple weeks, that you will help each other heal from the wounds of the heart, and soul- and maybe grow to trust each other, in the process. Some of you, have been hurt, so many times, by the ones you love..." Even Serdurni winced at this, eyes watering as she thought of Fria. She heard a chocked sob, and realized, in shock, it was the little fairy.

The man looked them over, shaking his head. "We'll do introductions later, I think..." he muttered.


	2. Chapter 2: Find the Pieces

Disclaimer: Still don't own Champs, sorry.

Note from the Shadows: Helloo again everyone! We're back, with chapter two, and- gasp- it might even be a long chapter! I loved writing this chapter, especially when it came to describing the bedrooms. I admit, these are all bedrooms that I, personally, would love to have, but specifically, I designed them for the characters I had intended to sleep in them. (Except for Lana's) It was a -lot- of fun to design these rooms, I can tell you this now.

**[Chapter Two: Find the Pieces]**

Maranka glared at those around her as she sat at the lunch table- save for the child, who had started clinging to her a couple of hours ago. Although she would never admit it, Maranka had a soft spot for children- especially this one, who she sometimes fed and gave shelter.

Across from her, looking down, was a young woman with grey skin, and stone wings. The tops of these wings were purple, but the bottom was a dark, dark black. Her left and leg were both prosthetic. Marnaka felt slightly guilty about how she had acted so far towards the woman, but... No. She wouldn't allow herself to falter. Not now. Not in this place.

"I'll begin." That damnable voice... Maranka looked at the man sitting at the end of the table in annoyance. Why did she have to introduce herself? She wasn't planning on staying any longer then it took to escape. "I am Jonathen Herricks. I run this shelter, for those in need of healing." He smiled politely. "Miss Matea, would you like to go next?" Maranka was about to say something rude, when the girl across from her spoke. "I am Serdurni Vastetshera Matea, adopted daughter of Friadon Matea. Before I was brought here, I pretty much died, and then killed someone." Maranka looked at the woman, slightly shocked. This girl was her adoptive aunt? That was... Amazing. The young woman quickly looked down, her striped black and white hair falling in front of her face, shoulders shaking slightly. Maranka shut her eyes, taking a deep breath. No. No. She wasn't going to open herself up to these strangers.

A small voice, muffled by a breather, spoke up. "I'm Neadasyrek, I'm a fairy. Before I came here, I was kidnapped by an android near Viox, nearly killed, thrown in a cage- and none of my friends came to rescue they got me out of the cage, they just forgot about me. Even Tex.." The fairy trailed off, voice choked. Tex? That didn't seem like her... Looking at the fairy and her aunt, Maranka felt suddenly shallow. She shut her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"I am Maranka Matea. I have been on the run for a hundred years, from the man my parents would have me marry, a murderer and a blood mage. Recently, I discovered he was on planet, looking for me once more. And... I panicked." Maranka shut her eyes after she spoke, looking down. She'd broken her own promise to herself, how could she do that?

The next voice that spoke up started all of them. It was quiet, hesitant, and frightened. After a moment, Maranka realized it was the child she was holding. "Am Lana..." the voice said, barely audible. "Bad fire man find again, hurt Lana, hurt Kit... Lana runned, Kit no runned..." The child trailed off, hiding her face in Maranka's shoulder. Maranka shut her eyes, wrapping her arms around the little one and gently rubbing her back. "I'm Kit. I'm Lana's... Familiar, I guess. I helped Jonathen find Lana after I escaped from the demon's hideaway." A sixth voice, male, startled Maranka. Her gaze turned to the source of the voice, finding a small, tabby kitten, sitting on his haunches. Not surprising, for Maranka, especially not in this city. The fairy didn't seem surprised, either, but the young woman- She was definitely startled, at least.

"How long are you planning to keep us here, Herricks?" Maranka demanded, looking at the man. She absentmindedly held the small child close, rubbing her back gently. "Until you are healed. Once I feel you are all fit to return to society, without having a breakdown, I will let you go home. No sooner, no later."

Maranka's eyes widened at these words, though the man seemed to notice. "It will not be as bad as you think, miss Matea. I promise. Now, I believe you four would like separate rooms, so follow me." The man stood, motioning for them to follow. To Maranka's surprise, she did follow.

He led them down a set of hallways, to one with three doors. Wait... Three? "Why are there only three rooms?" Maranka asked cautiously. Herricks turned his gaze on the child in Maranka's arms. "It would be best if Lana stayed in a room with one of you, where someone can watch her." Looking down at the little girl, Maranka silently agreed. "I'll watch her. I don't sleep much, anyway." Serdurni spoke up. "Thank you, Serdurni." Herricks nodded, as Maranka passed the woman the little girl. Lana clung to Maranka for a moment longer, before turning and clinging tightly to Serdurni. "I'll have an extra bed brought in for your room if you need it, Serdurni," he offered, but Serdurni just shook her head. Herricks blinked, but shrugged, going and opening the doors to the rooms.

Each room was different. In one, which Maranka immediately decided would be hers, there was a roof of branches, just far enough beneath the actual roof that she could sit up in it, or so it looked. The walls were a dark green, with a pattern of tree trunks. The carpet was green and fuzzy, made to imitate grass. Underneath a window, which had a curtain made to resemble a leaf, was a bed that looked like it had grown out of the floor, curved wood with a blanket that resembled a million leaves, stitched together. A lamp bent over it, the lamphead made to resemble a flower.

In the room next to it, the walls were painted to resemble flowers. Some of these actually had flowers that stuck out, big enough for the little fairy to sit or sleep on, and once again, the carpet looked like grass. Things that were evidently supposed to be clouds dangled from the roof, large enough for someone to sleep on. There were several windows, with fairly large window sills, cut in the shape of more flowers, but oddly enough, there was no bed. In the middle of the room, dangling from the roof and spinning slowly, was a model of the sun, which had a lightbulb hidden inside.

The last room was black. The floor seemed to be made of some sort of water, yet you could stand on it, without sinking. It too, was black, with little points of light that looked like stars, moving with the liquid. There were other, softly glowing, points of light on the walls, some spots painted to look like far away galaxies, others to look like nebulas. There were windows cut in the shape of stars, with gossamer black curtains that fit them perfectly. Dangling from the rook were little lights that, again, were made to look like stars. Somehow, this all provided the room with light enough to read by. The bed in the corner was made of dark reds and purples, built for someone who was evidently much taller then Maranka.

Herricks's voice intruded on her thoughts. "What do you think?" he asked them. Maranka looked at the room she had chosen as her own for a moment. "It reminds me of home..." she said softly. "It's peaceful," the fairy added, looking at the meadow room. Serdurni simply nodded. "I'm glad you three like them. They were designed to fit your tastes, after all."

Herricks shut the doors, so they could see slots that were about the right size for an index card, though at the moment, they were empty. He passed out index cards to each girl, save for Lana. "Write your names as neatly as you can, please. Serdurni, please add Lana's name to your card." The only sound for a minute or so after that was the scratching of pencil on paper, as each girl wrote their names on their cards. Neadasyrek, Maranka noticed, seemed to be having just as much trouble with the english alphabet as herself. After a few minutes, however, the small fairy had managed. Herricks took the cards back, sliding the one with Maranka's name into the slot on the room with the trees, the one with the fairies name into the slot of the meadow room, and Serdurni's into the last one.

"You'll be sleeping in these rooms for the duration of your stay. Go ahead and get settled in, please." Herricks smiled at them, in a manner that made Maranka's teeth grit. He was far, far too friendly. As the girls went into their rooms, Maranka promised herself she would watch him.


	3. Chapter 3:Pick Them up and Start Anew

Disclaimer: I only own my characters.

Note From the Shadows: Well. Wondering what you're thinking about the last two chapters, but without reviews, I have no way of knowing. *Hint hint* For the record, I am so-so-so-so-so sorry that this chapter is so late! I was dealing with a few health-and-mental issues, and completely forgot about my stories, I'm sorry! I'm also so sorry the chapters so short, I will make up for it, I promise.

**[Chapter Three: Pick Them Up and Start Anew]**

Neadas fluttered up to one of the clouds, sitting on it and drawing her knees to her chest. The metal of her prosthetics dug harshly into her skin, and she could hear the soft, constant, whirrs and beeps of the machines that kept her alive. "More machine then organic..." she muttered to herself, eyes squeezing shut. "A 'little birdy'... Not anyone important... Not anyone to care about... Justa fairy..."

Neadas hadn't heard anyone come in, so when she felt a hand gently touch her back, she was startled, falling face first into the 'cloud'. Someone behind her meeped, reaching over and righting her. "I'm sorry... You seemed sad..." A voice said softly, one Neadas recognized as belonging to that 'Serdurni' woman. Neadas turned, wiping tears away from her good eye. "I am..." she whispered.

Neadas noticed that the woman was holding herself aloft with her wings, one hand out in an offer to hold the fairy. Rather then complaining, Neadas crawled onto the hand, hugging the woman's thumb. "Would you like to come to my room?" Serdurni offered. "I still have to go and get Maranka, but you can wait in there if you don't want to come with me. Or... You could stay here, but it seems lonely..." Serdurni sounded genuinely sad, so Neadas put on as comforting a look as she could, even with a breather obscuring most of her face.

"It's alright, I'll wait in your room," Neadas responded. Serdurni smiled faintly, carrying her in and setting her on the bed, next to the little girl with white hair- Lana, was it? As Serdurni walked out, Neadas looked at the little girl.

She was crying, Neadas realized with a shock. Silently, and motionlessly, head turned down to hide her tears, but from this angle, Neadas could tell. The little kitten Neadas had seen earlier was standing in front of the girl, front paws on her chest for balance, licking her cheek comfortingly. Neadas stood carefully, hesitantly wrapping her arms as far around the small girl as they would go- which was only about halfway. "Do you want to talk about it?" Neadas asked softly.

Little Lana sniffled. "Want Kel... Want Kel, an' Dal-dal, an' Felix, an' Threshy... Scared.." She sniffled again, and Neadas reached up, brushing the tears away with her organic hand. "I know, little one... I'm scared too. But we're gonna go home, okay? We're gonna get better, and we're going to go home. Alright?" Lana sniffled, but nodded, just as the door opened once more.

Maranka and Serdurni came in, sitting on the bed next to them. "Hey..." Serdurni started, "You two alright?" The kitten nodded. "Lana was a little upset, but Neadasyrek here managed to help her calm down a little." Neadas blushed slightly. "I just hugged her.." she muttered. Serdurni smiled gently. "That was kind of you, Neadasyrek." Neadas sighed, nodding.

"Right. Why'd you bring us in here, Serdurni?" This voice wasn't as pleasant. It was rather.. Mean sounding, as if the speaker didn't know how to sound friendly. Serdurni fidgeted slightly, seeming to be nervous. "Well... I thought you guys might be lonely... And to be honest, I kinda was myself..."

Neadas smiled behind her mask, not that anyone could see it. "I was, at least. Thank you for inviting me in here, miss Serdurni." Maranka nodded after a moment. "It is... Somewhat pleasant to be in the company of others, I will admit. Silence is... Eery."

Serdurni smiled in a somewhat relieved manner. "I know what you mean... I've gotten so used to noise these past few months, the absence of it... Bothers me." Neadas nodded in agreement. "It's been at least sixty four of your years since I was able to be in complete silence without panicking. Noise is... Nice."

"'s... Boring, here," Serdurni commented. "There's no room to fly, or run." Maranka nodded in agreement. "I've tried teleporting out, but I can't phase through the walls here. It's... Annoying." With that, the three chatted for a while, never noticing as a smile spread across the face of the little girl.


	4. Chapter 4: If One Dream Should Break To

Disclaimer: Champs isn't mine, nor are Valori. Darklings, however, are.

Note From The Shadows: Alright, I admit, the *main* reason this was late is because I couldn't find a title.

**[Chapter Four: If one dream should fall and break to pieces...]**

_Lana, for once, was the first one awake. She carefully slipped out of Serdurni's bed, feet dipping silently into the odd ground. She wiggled her bare toes, crouching down, then reached back up, scooping Kit into her arms. The tabby stirred, then settled, returning to sleep as she tucked him into the little pocket of her blanket, snug against her chest. She pulled one arm into the blanket, holding him close, fingers curling into his plush fur, a content smile coming to her lips as he purrs. FInally, she made her way to the door._

_Lana poked her head out, glancing around, then pushed to door just enough open to slip out. Bare feet padded across the tile floor as she snuck towards the dining room. Whispered voices caught her attention, and she froze, one hand resting on the door. Her ears twitched as she strained to listen. She could only catch small snippits of conversation, not enough to piece together what was happening, but she listened, all the same. Perhaps she would learn something interesting, or fun? _

"-all here?" _This voice was new, male and prideful. _"Yes- -suspect nothing- -one week-" _This voice was familiar, but Lana, mind foggy with sleep, couldn't quite place it. The young girl dismissed this fact as insignificant, since, after all, she couldn't place it. _"Good. Start the- -moment their- quickly." _The voices started to get fainter and fainter, the owners walking off. Lana sat by the door, blinking sleepily as she tried to process what she had just heard, then yawned widely, getting to her feet and slipping back to Serdurni's room._

Maranka muttered sleepily and sulkily, sipping at the coffee in her hands as she sat on the couch, Lana curled up beside her. Across from her sat Serdurni, the tiny little fairy sitting on her shoulder, rubbing at her one remaining eye blearily. Jonathan entered with a broad smile, holding something behind his back. "Goooood morning, how are we today?" Mara lifted her head, narrowing her eyes. "I hope you know, human, that it is _illegal_ to be _that _cheerful at _this_ ungodly, early hour." Across from her, Serdurni nodded in agreement.

Jonathan laughed. "Yes, yes. I have been informed of your night owl tendencies, Maranka." He set the object- or, rather, objects- in his hand on the table, and Lana sat up a little to look. Lying in plain view were four notebooks, rather nice- One a deep purple, one a dark aquamarine, one a shifting rainbow, much smaller then any of the other notebooks- fairy sized, pretty much- and the final one a dark maroon. Lana looked back at Jonathan, blinking. "Go on, take one. They don't bite." Lana looked to Kit, hesitantly reaching out and grabbing the purple one when he nodded.

Lana didn't really notice everyone else taking one, opening the leather journal. A purple pen, decorated with violet butterflies, fell out into her lap, as she ran a finger along the crisp pages. She turned her attention to Jonathan, blinking. "These journals are yours to your name in them, and we can get started on the days activities."

'_Your's to keep.. Your's... Mine... What price? Always price, what price here?' _ Lana's mind bounced around as she lifted the pen, clumsily inking her name into the crisp paper. "Good, now flip to the first open page. I want you to think on the words '_if one dream should fall and break to pieces'._ Start with that, and then continue the journal entry as long as you need to, but finish the sentence. Alright? Okay, then you may begin."

Lana hunched her shoulders, looking at the paper. Kit hopped up. "Go on Lana, let's get started." She nodded, carefully starting to write. _'If one dream should fall and break to pieces,' _ Lana paused, uncertain of how to finish. _'If one dream should fall and break to pieces...' _Again, she paused, glancing up and looking around. Maranka had yet to start writing, chewing on the end of her aquamarine pen. Neadasyrek appeared to be having trouble holding her pen, tapping the tip on the paper, while Serdurni wrote silently, free hand running through her hair, biting her lower lip. Lana looked back to her own paper, absently doodling in the corner of the page while she thought about what to write.

Half an hour passed, and still Lana had barely begun writing. She glanced around again, and pouted, tucking the pen into the journal. She shut it carefully, scooping Kit up and petting him gently. She looked at Jonathan, blinking a little. Over the course of the next ten minutes, everyone else began closing their journals and looking to the man, expectantly. The man smiled politely. "Done for now, then? Very well, there's breakfast waiting for you in the kitchen, if you want it."

Though the others may have hesitated, Lana didn't. She bolted off to the kitchen carrying Kit- years of hunger had taught her to never, ever, turn down a free meal. She pulled herself onto one of the taler chairs, sitting carefully, as straight as she could manage. The fairy fluttered in after her, soft clicks coming from her mechanical wings. Lana edged over in her seat, patting the table to motion for the fairy to sit. The fairy looked up at her, waving a little, and then sat where she had indicated. Serdurni entered next, pulling Maranka along to sit by her, and Lana turned her attention to the table.

There was a bowl of fruit, and several boxes of cereal, both sugary and bland. There were waffles and grapes, bottles of honey and sugar. For drinks, coffee, milk, and fruit juice were readily available. Neadas fluttered over to the grapes, grabbing a couple . Lana got two bowls, and poured some of the cereal in one. She hesitated, then at Kit's stern look, tapped the darkling woman on the arm.

"Hm? Wha? Oh. Hello. What?" Maranka, apparently, wasn't fully awake yet. She already had another cup of coffee in her hands, laden with cream and sugar. Lana hesitated again, then asked quietly, "Milk too heavy, miss help Lana pour milk please?" Lana looked up at the woman, purple eyes wide and hopeful. Maranka sighed in a long suffering manner, standing and picking up the jug of milk, pouring it over the cereal. She looked at the empty bowl in confusion. "For Kit," Lana explained. Maranka sighed again, filling the bowl. Lana looked up at her gratefully, hugging her legs.

Serdurni laughed softly, covering her mouth and setting her waffle laden fork on her plate. She laughed harder when Maranka glared viciously at her, and Neadas laughed into her breather. Maranka rolled her eyes, sitting back down to sip at her coffee. They ate in silence. Lana finished around the same time as Neadas, settling back into her chair, holding Kit close. Serdurni smile at the two, and Neadas fluttered over to sit on Lana's shoulder, eliciting a giggle from the young girl as she reached up to pat the fairies head with a finger.

Evidently, the writing assignment was all the the man- Jonathan- had planned for them for today. Once everyone had finished eating, he informed them that they were free to wander as they wished. Lana chewed on her lower lip, looking around, then sneaked off to her and Serdurni's room.

As he had promised, Jonathan had evidently arranged for someone to bring in a small, child sized bed for lana. Well, it wasn't a bed, not exactly- it was a hammock, made of the same, watery seeming stuff as the floor. It was low enough down for Lana to be able to climb into it with ease- and she did, pulling herself up and landing in a nest of very plush blankets. She sat up, looking at the dark purple and green quilts. A faint smile crossed her lips, and she burrowed into the quilts, popping her head out to rest her chin on the pillow, which was the same material as the hammock and floor, dark purple with green swirls. Lana curled up, settling, and pulled out her notebook, thinking quietly, tapping her pen against it. After a moment, she started writing, Kit climbing up beside her. A look of contentment crossed her features, and she reached over occasionally to pet the orange tabby kitten, who stayed silent as she wrote, for once offering neither advice nor snarky remark. It was nice, while it lasted.


End file.
